


Free Falling

by vega_voices



Series: Come Rain, Come Shine [23]
Category: Murphy Brown (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 22:31:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15592212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vega_voices/pseuds/vega_voices
Summary: She had research to finish and two background interviews to conduct and as much as they wanted to spend the entire two weeks in each other’s arms, they also had to learn how to integrate their lives when they were in the same space.





	Free Falling

**Title:** Free Falling  
**Author:** vegawriters  
**Series:** Come Rain, Come Shine  
**Fandom** : Murphy Brown  
**Pairing:** Murphy/Peter  
**Rating:** For grownups only. No. Really.  
**Timeframe:** After _Just Like Riding a Bike_ (season 6)  
**A/N:** The writing and development with Peter and Murphy was good enough that you know they saw each other in between episodes. Also, there’s a ton of time compression between seasons 6-9, because Avery goes from 3 to 10 awful fast. So, if Avery seems a bit inconsistent with canon, I’m trying my best.  
**Disclaimer:** You know the rules: Diane English is God and owns all of this. I play in the sandbox, crying softly into the canonverse, keeping the dream alive as long as I can. And I don't make a penny while I do it. Which, isn't really great for my writing career ...

 **Summary:** _She had research to finish and two background interviews to conduct and as much as they wanted to spend the entire two weeks in each other’s arms, they also had to learn how to integrate their lives when they were in the same space._

No one knew he was back. Not even Murphy. He’d thought about calling when the network pulled him out of Lebanon early, after all, as far as Murphy knew he was gone until next month. But, surprising her felt like more fun. He knew he could have swung by her place first thing off the plane, tried to catch and delay her, but some fantasies with her had yet to be sated and he had full intention of making use of that lock on her office door. So he came straight from the airport, avoided anyone who would care he was in the building, closed the blinds so that they wouldn’t be discovered, and waited.

9:35, the door opened. Her eyes met his and she closed the door behind her, her fingers quickly snapping the lock into place. For a long moment, neither of them said a word. He just pressed her back against the door, one knee pressing between her legs, their lips bruising as they crushed together.

Really, he was just glad she’d worn a skirt.

“Missed me?” She asked as his hands slowly undid the buttons of her blouse. He had to be careful, after all. Couldn’t tear the fabric.

“You have no idea,” he murmured. “And if you have to be in editing in two minutes, let me know now because I don’t intend to let you go for a good little while.”

“I’m clear,” she chuckled, her hand moving between them, her fingers toying with the length of his zipper. “And later, you can tell me why you didn’t call to warn me.”

“Have another boyfriend you’re balancing?” He teased, edging her skirt up her thighs.

“Well, you know, so many men in DC want to do this with me …”

He shook his head as he leaned in to kiss her. “You have no idea.” Really, she didn’t. Rumor on the road was that Murphy was dating someone, but no one knew who, and all the guys could talk about was how lucky the bastard was. It had taken a lot to keep his mouth shut.

The only hindrance to his goal was her hose, which he helped to nudge down her legs and, when he was kneeling before her, he took full advantage of the position. She groaned as he slid one leg over his shoulder and placed an open mouthed kiss right where satin met skin. Her hand found balance on the doorknob and he moved the barrier to the side, his tongue sliding to taste her. Her gasp sent sparks through him and he gripped just a bit tighter to keep her from falling.

Long fingers helped pull her panties down and he pressed up against her as he stood, sliding one long finger inside of her. She gasped and dug her fingers into his shirt as he worked her, feeling her body tense. In the short time they’d been together, he’d learned one of his favorite things was watching her come.

It flooded over her and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Peter leaned in to kiss her, to help muffle the sound, and she rode his hand as the wave took her. Gasping, she tugged at his zipper, and he helped as best he could, needing to be inside her as much as she wanted him. He took her, hard and fast, against her office door, lifting her so both legs were wrapped around his hips until she slid one leg down and pushed him back, toward her chair. He dragged her down onto his lap and held her hips as she rode him, hard, until he climaxed.

“God …” he groaned as he finally came. She was gasping, her face buried in his neck. “That was …”

“Shut up,” she muttered, “I can’t think yet.”

He laughed and ran his hand up her back. She was naked save for the skirt around her waist and her disheveled bra. His shirt was open and her hand tight in his chest hair, his jeans loose and well, sticky now. It was worth it.

He’d been worried their first time back together since affirming this was actually a relationship would be awkward. Oh, it wasn’t.

Slowly, Murphy pulled back and started to straighten her clothes. He watched, feeling like an idiot as he sat there with his pants still open, but she was beautiful and he wanted to stare. When she pulled her blouse over her shoulders, he stood, fixed his jeans, and went to help her fix the buttons he’d undone.

The office smelled of sex and coffee and the perfume that simply drove him crazy. “I missed you,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss her again. “So much.”

Her arms were around his neck and he pushed her back against the door again, taking it slower, knowing at some point, he had to release her to the real world.

“I missed you too,” she moaned. “And, if you aren’t just stopping by to turn me to jelly and then head back to duck bullets, I can probably slip away after lunch.”

“They aren’t sure where they’re sending me, so I’m a stateside talking head for at least two weeks. As for today, I can keep myself occupied in the tape library.”

Murphy chuckled and squirmed away. She knelt to pick up her hose and the discarded underwear, pulling the satin back up her legs before making final adjustments to her suit. She almost looked presentable. She slid her bare feet back into her pumps and tossed the hose into the trash. “Everyone is going to take one look at me and know.”

“Good,” Peter chuckled, tugging her back into his arms. She leaned in for a kiss but they were distracted by a knock on her door.

“I should get that …” she grinned wickedly. Peter smirked and took a seat in her chair again.

Murphy opened the door to find Miles standing there, a file folder in hand. He took one look at Murphy, her hair messed up, her clothes still slightly off kilter, and Peter sitting behind her, and started to stammer.

“Peter! Peter! It’s so good to have you … see you back here again! Hi Murphy! Do you need the morning off? The day?”

“I’ll be taking the afternoon,” she quipped at him. “What do you need, Miles?”

Peter took his queue, and figured it was safe to slip out, and stood up. He paused at the door, dropping a kiss to Murphy’s lips, and brushed her hair off her shoulder. “I’ll see you for lunch?”

“Sounds good.”

“Here?” He grinned, knowing Miles was turning about fifty different shades of red. The office still smelled of sex.

“Perfect,” she teased. “See you then.”

“Good to see you, Miles.” Peter nodded and walked past, smirking. As he stepped onto the elevator, he watched Murphy take pity on Miles and step out of her office. Oh, surprising her had been completely worth it.

***

She couldn’t move. Peter’s hands were working magic on the arches of her feet and Murphy was completely at his mercy. Avery played on the floor, stacking blocks around his Godzilla toy, and she was just very glad that he was happy to entertain himself. In the background, the Bears were being destroyed by the Broncos. Technically, it was Avery’s bedtime, but she was enjoying the family moment too much to ruin the evening with pouting. Especially Peter’s. He really did like spending time with the kid.

Anyway, if they put Avery to bed, Peter would have to stop rubbing her feet and that wasn’t going to happen.

His low chuckle caught her attention and she realized she was the one starting to doze off. “Damn,” she muttered, sitting up. Avery looked at her and giggled.

“I’d start a swear jar,” she grinned, “but I’ve already set aside the money for his college education. I don’t need to fund it by the time he’s four.”

Peter laughed. “You look exhausted, Murphy.”

“It’s okay. Just late nights. Frustrating story. You know the deal.” She rubbed her eyes. “And now this guy I’m seeing is back in town and I swear, he’s insatiable.” She grinned at him.

“Don’t let me keep you up,” Peter teased, reaching for her hand. Murphy let herself be pulled into his lap and lost herself in a kiss. “Or,” he murmured as they split apart. “Do let me keep you up.”

“I’m going in late tomorrow,” she teased. “You can keep me up as long as you want.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and everything fell away as their lips found each other again.

“Ew, Mommy.”

Both of them cracked up and Murphy slid off of Peter’s lap. She turned and scooped up her son, who promptly wiggled down. “No!” He giggled. “Not bedtime!”

Murphy was ready to chase him, but a new idea emerged. “Okay,” she granted. “Why don’t you go get your movie and we can watch it with Peter.”

Peter looked at her while Avery ran to go find his copy of The Little Mermaid. “Dare I ask?”

“You’d better like singing crabs and rebellious mermaids,” she teased. “Because that’s what you get in this house right now.”

Peter laughed and then surprised her. “Part of the package, right? I mean, it can’t all be tearing your clothes off in your office.”

She grinned but any response was cut off by Avery running back into the room, holding his video.

“Okay,” Murphy said. “We’ll watch but you should go get into your jammies.”

Avery pouted, but Peter stepped in. “Come on, buddy. Why don’t you show me how you get ready for bed.”

Murphy’s heart exploded. Avery went from toddler meltdown to excited, as he dragged Peter up the stairs. “No girls!” He shouted at Murphy. She only shook her head and waited about five minutes before tiptoeing up the stairs to listen. Just in case. But it became clear that Peter had it all in hand.

“Why were you gone?” Her son asked. Murphy held her breath.

“Well, you know how sometimes, your mom has to go away for work?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I do too. But your mom only has to go away for a few days at a time. Sometimes I have to go away for whole weeks and months at a time.”

“Oh …”

“But, I promise, that whenever I am home, I’ll be here to hang out with you, okay?”

“Okay!” Silence. “Are you my daddy?”

Silence. She was ready to walk in, to distract the conversation, but Peter, somehow, saved the moment. “You know, that’s a really good question, Avery. I kinda wish I was, you know. Cause you’re a really cool kid and I really, really like your mom. But even though I don’t know your dad, he’s gotta be a cool guy, too. And someday, when he’s ready to be a dad, he’s going to want to get to know you. So, I hope it’s okay that I hang out with you and your mom. Cause I really like both of you.”

“Okay. I like you too.” Avery giggled. “And so does mommy.”

“Well, I hope so.”

Murphy pushed back the tears and walked into her son’s room. “Are girls allowed yet?” She met Peter’s eyes and mouthed ‘thank you’ before Avery wrapped himself around her legs. “I think there’s a movie going.”

“Yay!” Avery raced out ahead.

Murphy sighed and leaned against Peter. “You … handled that like a pro.”

“I only told the truth, Murphy. He’s a great kid who clearly takes after his mom. His dad, well. He contributed half of the DNA at least.”

Murphy chuckled. “You know it’s over between me and his father, right? You know that as long as we’re together, you don’t have anything to worry about, right? He isn’t going to show up, and even if he did, I have no desire to get back together with him. I want him to know Avery, if he wants to. But you know his son better than he does.”

Peter stroked her cheek. “I get the whole story later, okay?”

“But first mermaids?” She quirked a smile at him.

“But first, mermaids.” He kissed her softly before they made their way back down to where Avery had made a nest of pillows and was already singing along with the opening number. Peter settled on the couch and Murphy stretched out, her head in his lap.

She woke two hours later. Peter was coming down the stairs, having, it seemed, put Avery to bed. “God …” she groaned, sitting up. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was.”

“It was a fun experience for me,” Peter joked. “Avery sings all of Ariel’s parts.”

“She’s his favorite,” Murphy smiled and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Thank you …”

“You’re welcome. He’s in bed, dreaming of King Triton. We should get some sleep too, if you’re this tired.”

She sighed and let him pull her to her feet. “You’re in town. I can always sleep during movies and then again when you leave.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Come make love to me.”

Peter sighed and pulled her close against his body. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The kiss was long and lingering, and Murphy found herself lost in every breath, every touch. She could spend eternity just like this with him, exploring each other. It took forever for her to convince herself to take his hand and lead him up the stairs to her bedroom; she just wanted to stay planted in his arms.

In the bedroom, the gentle caresses continued. Unlike this morning in her office, there was no pawing, no tugging. They undressed each other, laughing at the awkwardness of pulling jeans down legs and his fingers somehow couldn’t work the clasp on a bra he’d removed earlier.

He knelt before her, proving over and over how much he loved spending time between her thighs, making love to her with his mouth. The promises in his letters were only ever a pale anticipation to how his tongue moved against her, how his lips worked her. When he finally joined her on the bed, his fingertips moved over her already sensitive body, pushing between her legs, and she came with him watching her, holding his wrist as his fingers stroked and fluttered.

Finally she spooned back against him, hooking one leg over his, and he entered her from behind, moaning her name as he moved against her, his hand on her breast. It didn’t last long, and when he came, he pushed into her hard enough that she rolled, slightly her face in the pillow. It sent her over the edge again and it took a good five minutes before either of them could move again.

God, she could get used to this. He was in town for two weeks?

For the first time in her adult dating life, that concept didn’t terrify her. Shit. What were they going to do about this? It just felt so perfect.

He pulled back and rolled away to dispose of the condom she’d barely registered he’d rolled on. Murphy groaned and stretched and slipped out of bed to take care of her needs in the bathroom. By the time she emerged, he’d fixed the bed and she slipped between the sheets, reveling in his arms around her.

“I still don’t … it still surprises the hell out of me that you want to be here, you know.” She stroked back the errant lock of hair that always fell across his forehead. “I’m glad you do. But it still surprises me.”

“My only regret,” he kissed her, “is that I didn’t make a move the night of my first show.”

She giggled. “I punched you.”

“You also saw right through me, which scared the crap out of me, you know.” He brushed her hair back and kissed her. “There was a moment though, at Phil’s … I really almost made a move. We were alone and you were getting ready to leave.”

“I kind of wish you had too, although, would I have really dumped mud in your coffee quite as much if you were kissing me like you do?”

Peter laughed. “Oh, probably.”

Murphy snuggled closer, her head on his chest, her fingers tracing shapes on his abdomen. “Avery’s father is Jake Lowenstein. The activist.” she said, changing the subject, but after Peter’s interaction with Avery, she felt like he deserved the truth. At least as much as she was ready to discuss. “My marriage, the one that lasted five days? That was Jake. We reconciled a few years ago, and that didn’t last but I got pregnant. I kept the baby, he gave me a hug and took off.”

Peter pulled her closer against his body. “That was a collection of sentences I did not expect.”

She chuckled, glad he wasn’t pushing for more than she was ready to give. He wasn’t going to get the whole story tonight.

“Jake Lowenstein, huh?”

“Yep. Mr. Controversial himself.”

Peter sighed, dramatic and sad. “You couldn’t just have hooked up with someone normal? I have to compete with Jake Lowenstein?”

Murphy sat up and looked up into his eyes. “Hey,” she shook her head, desperately needing to get this reassurance out. “When it comes to you and Jake, there’s no competition. Period. Jake’s a good man, but he’s a terrible partner and a worse father. Whatever we are, and I know we’re still figuring it out, Peter, please don’t think you have to compete against Jake.”

He reached up and brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I’ve met him, you know. I’ve interviewed him. He’s one of the reasons I get access to some of the spaces I’ve had access to. He’s respected and he’s tough and now the next time I see him, all I’m going to be able to see is a guy who couldn’t even call when his son was born.”

“Don’t ruin your relationship with him. I mean it when I say he’s a good man. And he’s never been anything but honest, Peter. Other than the fact that he said he’d call. Keeping Avery was my decision, and it’s one I hardly regret. Jake never said he’d be involved.”

The truth hung heavily in the room. She put her head back on his chest, starting to regret bringing up the topic at all. Peter’s arms tightened around her. “He’s such a great kid, you know. It’s Jake’s loss.”

“Yeah, it is.” She kissed the closest patch of skin.

“Thank you,” Peter murmured. Sleep seemed to be taking him.

“For what?”

“Letting me be a part of his life already. And yours too.”

Murphy blinked back tears she swore it was too soon to cry. “Thank you,” she whispered. Peter was already into the haze of early sleep. Murphy followed him and woke, six hours later, still in his arms.

***

Over breakfast, Peter made a decision. Murphy had taken the morning, and told Eldin to take some time too, but she needed to go in this afternoon. She had research to finish and two background interviews to conduct and as much as they wanted to spend the entire two weeks in each other’s arms, they also had to learn how to integrate their lives when they were in the same space. While Avery picked at a bagel and Murphy tried to get his little backpack together for preschool, Peter stepped in and took it from her.

“Hey,” he said. “You finish your coffee. What does he need?”

“Mostly, just make sure the finger paints haven’t spilled everywhere.” She smiled and returned to her coffee. Even with them having the morning together, it was chaos. Avery still had to get to preschool, and he was much like his mother when it came to mornings. Halfway through getting Avery’s jacket on, he met Murphy’s eyes.

“Why don’t I …” he swallowed back his nerves. “Would you be okay if I picked Avery up from school?”

Murphy stared at him, one eyebrow quirked. “You’re jumping in awful fast,” she responded.

But Peter just shrugged. “Well, you know, I have to be here when I can and I have the time.”

She leaned over and kissed him, ignoring Avery’s “eewww.” “Okay,” she said. “We’ll move his booster seat to your car and you can drive us in so you know where things are and I can make sure the office knows you are authorized to pick him up.”

Peter nodded, trying to cover the nerves. This was his decision, and she’d taken him up on it. But suddenly, with booster seats and backpacks and offices knowing he was okay to pick Avery up, it was real. When Murphy handed him the keys to her car and told him the booster seat was in the back, he almost dropped them.

The booster seat was harder to figure out than he wanted to admit, but by the time Avery and Murphy were through the door, he had it strapped into the backseat of his barely used Toyota. Murphy gave him directions to the preschool and once there, he hung back just a bit, watching Murphy drop Avery in his classroom. He could tell this was usually Eldin’s job, given how they all reacted to her, but from the people around him, he could tell dropping the kids was usually the nanny’s job in general.

A nice girl at the front desk asked for his ID so he could be added to the list of people cleared to pick up Avery, and then, the chaos was over. They were back in his car, with the morning ahead of them.

“You sure this is still something you want for yourself?” Murphy asked, her eyebrow raised. Peter couldn’t miss the panic in her eyes. At a stoplight, he leaned over to kiss her.

“Yes,” he whispered, squeezing her hand. “This is something pretty great, Murphy.”

She softened and kept their hands linked as he turned his car toward his apartment. She had the morning, after all. He fully intended to take advantage of any time they had alone.

***

God, she could barely walk. It was a pleasant problem to have, but she might need a night off after the romp in Peter’s sheets before she made it into the office. It was bad enough that he was a fantastic kisser, amazing in bed, and when he held her it was like the entire world fell away. But now he was bonding with her kid.

Butterflies took over her stomach every time she laid eyes on him, when he touched her, she only wanted to press even closer to him. She already had a photo of him on her shelf in her office and in her wallet. Letters were tucked into her bedside drawer. But now, he was bonding with her kid.

Thank god for work. Professionalism could save her. She stepped off the elevator to the stress of the newsroom, receiving only a side-eye smirk from Fran. Murphy couldn’t help but wink at the other woman as she walked past her empty secretary’s desk into her office.

In the middle of her desk was a vase of two dozen stirling roses and a small box. She set her files and the tape she was carrying down and opened the box to find a list of names affiliated with her current story, names she was having trouble tracking down. She sighed, moved the vase to the file cabinet, and settled at her desk to pick up the phone. Three rings later, he answered.

“When did you have time to do this?” She asked when Peter answered.

“You had a lunch meeting,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you tonight. Don’t worry, Avery and I will have everything covered.”

“What do you mean by that?” She teased.

“Have a good afternoon,” Peter replied. She rolled her eyes but couldn’t argue with him. She did have work to do.

“When do you want me to pick you up?”

She sighed. “Eight?”

“We’ll see you then.”

Murphy caught herself from lingering on the call. She did have work to do - notes to deconstruct from her lunch interview, sources to verify, and the afternoon flew by before she even moved from her chair. At six o’clock, she emerged in time to say goodnight to Jim and steal the last of the coffee. At seven, she discovered a well of information from one of the senate transcripts she hadn’t had time to dig in to yet and she barely moved for the next hour, save to highlight key indicator words that linked back to her source material.

This story was going to send people to jail.

At eight o’clock, her door pushed open and she glanced up, expecting to see Peter and a sleepy Avery. Instead, she saw her son, holding a bright yellow daisy, a wide tooth grin on his face. “Hi, Mommy!”

She melted. Right through the floor. Murphy got up and knelt in front of Avery, wrapping him in a hug she hadn’t known she needed. “Oh, sweetheart,” she kissed his head.

“Dis for you!” He cried, triumphantly. She took the flower and tucked it into the roses Peter had sent earlier.

“Perfect,” she said, picking him up and settling him on her hip. Peter leaned in the doorway and she shook her head at him. “Did you two have fun today?”

“We saw fish!” Avery explained. Murphy raised an eyebrow.

“We went to the aquarium,” Peter said. “Spent the afternoon searching for mermaids.”

“And?” Murphy asked Avery. “Did you find any?”

Avery shook his head. “No … but dey hide.”

She kissed his temple and set him down so she could get her things together. The story could wait til morning. Right now, it was her and Peter and Avery and she was terrified that after two weeks, Peter would run screaming. But right now, it just felt perfect.


End file.
